Creating a functional and effective website is an integration of technology, skills and accessibility. We have been well advanced on the first two parameters for about a decade now, but a website still seems ineffective when it is not completely accessible to all users. A website is said to be effective when it is accessible to all internet users regardless of their disabilities, limitations or available technology. The following guidelines will help your WordPress site accessible to all types of users thereby increasing your website traffic and your profit.
Create catchy page titles
The first thing that a screen reader encounters while the webpage is loading is the page title. The page title appears on the search engine as the name of the page and informs the reader of the content of your website. Hence the title should be precise and catchy.
Use meaningful title attributes
Title attributes are short summaries that describe where the hyperlink leads the user who clicks on it. Don’t use the same title attribute as the link text. For instance,
exclusive works
This title attribute is redundant and doesn’t give any meaning. A more precise title attribute to the example above is:
Place important interactive elements in the above fold region
Imagine yourself as a user and count the number of times you have to use the Tab key to jump to the important hyperlinks in your web pages.
Did, pressing tab key drive you crazy?
Now put yourself in the situation where you’re unable to use the mouse to access a desired interactive element and you have to pass through the ones that come before it on the web page. This gives you an idea how users with physical disabilities interface with a web page.
So you need to put all important hyperlinks and other interactive elements above the fold so that they remain visible to your target audience, regardless of their physical disabilities.
Use tag elements for acronyms and abbreviations
Tag elements describe acronyms and abbreviations to readers who do not clearly understand what they actually mean. Tags can also be used in case of slangs or in case of unfamiliar contractions where one finds it difficult to grasp quickly. Moreover, tags make the website easily accessible to all readers regardless of their physical and mental disabilities.
Label your images with Alt Text
Images are an essential part of any website but when it is properly labeled with Alt text; people would have better accessibility to your word press website.
The information in the alt tag helps users of screen readers, text only browsers and slow internet connections to understand the information conveyed by the images. If you have an image of the inner structure of an eye, your alt text should say “internal structure of eye.” If the image is a link, the alt text should be used to describe what the link is. For charts, graphs and complex images you could give long description. Plugins like Long description would help you if you have a website with lots of graph and data.
Use headings correctly
Headings on a web page are a summary of what the pages are about. When you organize the content with proper headings, it helps people with physical disabilities to get an idea of what the pages are about and help them to explore your website more easily. You can label your content using up to six headings (- ). Make sure the headings are in numerical order.
Create quality content
The best way to drive traffic to your site is to create interesting content. The best way of doing this is by avoiding use of technical jargons and terms, abbreviations should be minimum and posting fresh content with relevant images.
Make CAPTHCHAs as simple as possible
Complex CAPTHCHA can often be confusing for a normal user or a user with limited computing skills. Therefore create simple CAPTCHA. To help users with vision impairment, offer audio alternatives.
Use skip navigation
Screen reader users have to read the entire HTML documents without the option of jumping to the section they’re interested in.
Here is where skip navigation comes in. It allows users with physical disabilities to skip long lists of links.
Skip navigation is a link located at the top of your web page. When a user clicks on it, he/she is taken to the content section of your web page.